Coin-carrying card



Jan. 29, 1963 G. w. BLENDINGER COIN-CARRYING CARD Filed Oct. 51. 1960 IN VEN TOR.

GEORGE W. BLENDINGER United States atent 3,075,638 COIN-CARRYING CARD George W. Blendinger, 1853 E. Main St, Rochester 9, N.Y.

Filed Oct. 31, 196i), Ser. No. 66,176 4 Claims. (6i. 206-.84)

The present invention relates to coin holders and more particularly to coin-carrying cards such as are employed by churches for use as denial banks during Lent or Advent.

To stimulate self-denial during the Lenten season and during Advent, it is the custom of various churches to distribute among their parishioners inexpensive banks or coin hoiding cards in which the parishioners are asked to deposit a coin each day of the Lenten or Advent seasons, so that when the selected day, such as Easter or Christmas arrives, the parishioners can return their holders to the church with a substantial offering therein.

Coin holding cards have the advantage over box-type banks in that they are far less bulky and can therefore more easily be collected from the large congregations which always frequent churches on Easter Sunday and Christmas. One of the objections to coin holding cards heretofore, however, had been the difficulty of getting coins out of a coin holding card; the pastor or his ushers have the problem of removing a large number of coins from the large number of individual coin pockets in the holders after collection of the holders.

The degree of success of card-type coin holders depends, moreover, upon the cost of the cards distributed to the parishioners, and the ease of handling such coin retainers.

A prime object of this invention is to provide a coincarrying card which is so constructed as to permit easy removal of coins therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a coincarrying card which is of minimum bulk, but which nevertheless will have sufficient capacity to hold all the coins that may be deposited therein from day to day over an extended period.

Another object of the invention is to provide a coin holder which can be made from a single cardboard blank, and which will therefore be easy to make and relatively inexpensive.

A further object of this invention is to provide a coin holder of the type disclosed, upon one face of which a message may be written or printed.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a coin holding card wherein the coin-carrying pockets are arranged in columns so that the coins in one column may be removed simply by passing a tool down the center of the column, or by pulling on a coin-stripping ribbon such as a string. I

Still another object of the invntion is to provide a coin holder in which the coins held will be visible at all times, so that a person can tell at a glance how much money is contained in the holder.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent hereinafter from the specification and from the recital of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a portion of a rectangular coin holding card constructed according to one embodiment of this invention, and showing a coin being inserted in one coin pocket, several pockets with coins therein, and several pockets before insertion of the com;

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line IIII of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating the manner in which coins are held within the coin pockets;

FIG. 3 is a similar section illustrating the manner in which a suitable tool may be employed to remove coins from the pockets of the coin holder;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front elevation illustrating a further embodiment of the invention wherein the card is scored to provide detachable ribbons that extend medially of the bottoms of the pockets to permit ready removal of the coins therefrom, one of the ribbons being shown partially detached;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of this card taken along line V-V of FIG. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 6 is an end elevational view looking upward from the lower edge of FIG. 4 illustrating the manner in which the stripping ribbon removes the coins from the pockets.

Referring now to the drawing by numerals of reference, 10 designates generally a card constructed according to one embodiment of the invention, and shown only fragmentarily. This card has a plurality of vertically and horizontally spaced pockets 11. Each pocket is formed by die cutting or slitt'ng the card along laterally-spaced lines 12 and 12' which are straight and parallel for part of their length, as denoted at 13, 13' and which terminate at their upper ends, as viewed in FIG. 1, in arcuate portions 14, 14' that extend laterally away from one another. The parallel portions of each pair of lines 12, 12' define the edges or sides of two flaps 15, 15', and a narrow back strap or ribbon 16. When pressure is applied against the backs of two flaps 15, 15', and a coin 17 is forced down between them and the associated strap or ribbon 16, the two flaps form the front of a pocket while the associated strap or ribbon 16 forms the back thereof. Each pocket has a wide mouth at its upper end through which a coin may be inserted or removed. This mouth extends fully across the two associated arcuate portions 14, 14', from the outer terminal end of one arcuate portion to the distal outer terminal end of the other. Each pocket has only a narrow slot or opening 18 at its lower end where sides 13, 13' merge with strap 16 to form the pocket bottom, its width equaling the distance between the lines 13, 13', that is, the width of strap or ribbon 16.

As will be noted, the card has its pockets arranged in a plurality of vertical columns, as viewed in FIG. 1, these columns being designated A, B, C, D, E, F, respectively. All the pockets open in the same direction, that is, all of their mouths are at the upper ends of the pockets. Moreover, all of the pockets in a given column are aligned so that the narrow slots 18 between the associated fiaps 15, 15' are aligned. In FIG. 2 it will be noted that when a pocket is filled with a coin the flaps 15, 15' merge into the rest of the card at the bottom of the pockets thus forming s oping surfaces 19 which face the next lower pocket opening.

The two flaps of a respective pocket are of suflicent length from sloping surfaces 19 up to arcuate portions 14, 14', to permit the upper edge of a coin, which has been inserted into such pocket, to be contained wholly within a pocket. In the upper right hand corner of FIG.

1, for instance, note that the depth of the pocket as defined by the length of its respective flaps is essentially equal to the diameter of the coin (in this case a dine) which is inserted therein. In this manner the two flaps of a respective pocket serve to secure a coin against the narrow strap or ribbon 16 which forms the back of such pocket.

While the drawing illustrates that the card may be employed for retaining dimes, it is apparent that the card pockets may be constructed to accommodate coins of various sizes. Moreover, since the flaps of different pockets are located essentially symmetrically with respect to the ribbons or straps 16, it is possible to use pockets of various sizes in a given column as long as all such pockets open in the same direction. Particularly where the pockets are designed to accommodate larger coins, it may be desirable to secure a sheet of paper on the back of the card to reinforce'the ribbon or strap 16 which formthe backs of the pockets. This sheet may be used for printing messages thereon.

Whenthe cards are constructed in the above manner the coins are easily removed from any one column merely by inserting a hooked tool, such as shown at T in FIG. 3, beneath the lower-most coin in any one'colurnn'and drawingthe tool upwardly along the center line of said column. 'The hook H of the tool will thus remove the coins from the pockets as illustrated in FIG. 3, the sloping surfaces 19 permitting each coin to ride freely over the bottom of of the coin pockets. After the coins have been removed with too-ls such as that'illustrated in FIG. 3, the cards may be again used if desired.

In FIGS. 4 to 6a modification of the invention is illustrated. In this embodiment the coinpocketsare constructed in a manner similar to the embodiment shown in-FIGS. lto 3. the cardis-scored or die cut to form lines 20 of closely spaced perforations, which extend between successive pockets as extensions of strap 16. However, at the lower edge of the card, the parallel lines of score '20 diverge as at21 to define a wedge-shaped tab 22.

In the second embodiment, however,

-To remove coins from this embodiment all that is necessary is to grasp the tab 22 and pull it from the card, thus ripping the card along the lines of score as illustrated in the center of FIG. 4. By pulling the-tab upwardly,

and in a'direction away from the face of the card the ribbon or strap 16 is removed from the card (note the -partially re'moved ribbon in the center of F1634) to -force the coins out of the mouths of successive pockets in the column. ment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the several'coins in the Hence, as in the case of the embodirespective column of pockets may be easily removed by 'one swift motion of the hand.

Instead of scoring thecards as is illustrated in'FIGS.

'4' to 6,--it is possible to incorporate a string or plastic tape in the ribbon or strap 16. In such event the string or tape will extend from the lower edge of the card'up the center of the pocket columns between the parallel sides 13, 13' of the pocket *flaps, protruding just slightly below I the-lower edge of the card to form a-grip by which it may be pulled. However, instead of having the strings or plastic tapes protrude from the lower edge of the card,

-the"'card could be scored adjacent its lower edge tocreate *tabs 22 to assist in pulling such strings or tapes.

" While the invention has been describedin connection with church offerings or denial banks, wherein coins are easily inserted, viewed, and removed, it is to' be understood that it is by no means confined to such use. 7 Instead the card may be employed for any purpose to which a coin-carrying card may be used, as for instance, for transmitting coins through the mails.

While the invention'has been described in connection with a specific embodiment thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification, and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention folowing, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains and-as may be applied to the essential features herein before set forth, and as fall within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A generally flat'coin-carrying card slit at spaced intervals along laterally spaced lines to define vertically spaced pairs of flaps, portions of said spaced lines being 20- -fiaps of a pair, said pairs of flaps being bendable outparallel to define a lateral spacing between respective 'wardly from the card to form the fronts of coin-retaining pockets, the portions of the card between said laterally spaced flaps constituting the backs of said coin-retaining pockets, the backs of'said coin-retaining pockets being aligned in a column, theportions of the card between said vertically spaced pairs of flaps being scored, said scored portions-cooperating with said aligned backs to define'a continuous ribbon which canbepulled fromthe card to strip the coins fromsaid pockets.

2. A generally flat coin-carrying card as defined'in claim 1 wherein the sides of said ribbon diverge from one another at the lower edge of said card to define a tab 'wherewith to pull said ribbon from the card.

3. 'Agene'rally fiat coin-carrying card bearing a column of vertically spaced coin-retaining pockets, each of said -p'ockets"comprising a pair of'la'terally spaced flaps slit from and movable outwardlyof said card to form the front of a pocket, the edges of said flaps extending for a portion of their lengths in a direction parallel to said column, that portion of the card between the laterally spaced flaps ofa' respectivepair-cooperating with the latterto form the back of a coin pocket, all of said pockets opening in the same direction, the backs of all of said pockets being aligned with'one another, and that portion or the card between said vertically spaced pockets being scored,'said"scored portions cooperating with said aligned backs to define a continuous ribbon extending in the direction of the column,said ribbon serving to strip coins from saidpockets upon being pulled from the card.

4. A generally flat coin-carrying card asdefined in claim 3, wherein-the sides of said ribbon diverge at the lower end of said card 'to' define a' tab by which said' ribbon may be pulled from the card.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A GENERALLY FLAT COIN-CARRYING CARD SLIT AT SPACED INTERVALS ALONG LATERALLY SPACED LINES TO DEFINE VERTICALLY SPACED PAIRS OF FLAPS, PORTIONS OF SAID SPACED LINES BEING PARALLEL TO DEFINE A LATERAL SPACING BETWEEN RESPECTIVE FLAPS OF A PAIR, SAID PAIRS OF FLAPS BEING BENDABLE OUTWARDLY FROM THE CARD TO FORM THE FRONTS OF COIN-RETAINING POCKETS, THE PORTIONS OF THE CARD BETWEEN SAID LATERALLY SPACED FLAPS CONSTITUTING THE BACKS OF SAID COIN-RETAINING POCKETS, THE BACKS OF SAID COIN-RETAINING POCKETS BEING ALIGNED IN A COLUMN, THE PORTIONS OF THE CARD BETWEEN SAID VERTICALLY SPACED PAIRS OF FLAPS BEING SCORED, SAID SCORED PORTIONS COOPERATING WITH SAID ALIGNED BACKS TO DEFINE A CONTINUOUS RIBBON WHICH CAN BE PULLED FROM THE CARD TO STRIP THE COINS FROM SAID POCKETS. 